293 - Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606, Leiden – Amsterdam, 1669), Three Heads of Women: One Asleep.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606, Leiden – Amsterdam, 1669), Three Heads of Women: One Asleep. Engraving on laid paper. (1637). 14.3 x 9.8 cm (sheet). Bartsch 368; White/Boon 368; Hinterding/Rutgers (The New Hollstein) 161 I (of III). A fine, sharp lifetime impression of New Hollstein’s first state (of three), with the fine scratches in the background printing clearly visible and with only slight traces of wear in the dark kerchief at the upper right. Trimmed to or just within the platemark. Rembrandt’s etched sketch sheets, combining isolated figures and heads, form a distinctive group within his graphic oeuvre. Rooted in the tradition of drawn sketch sheets, their seemingly spontaneous juxtaposition of unrelated motifs was deliberately retained in print. Such sheets were particularly prized by seventeenth-century collectors for their immediacy and inventive character. – The corners have been skillfully backed and repaired. There is a tiny area of paper loss on the left edge, which has been backed. Otherwise in good condition. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).